How to make your miles go further for you

When it comes to using frequent flyer miles, stopovers and side trips are the routes less traveled. Most people assume that they’re not allowed when, in fact, many airlines are positively permissive on this score. Fly United from Miami to Denver on an award ticket, for example, and you can tack on a side trip to a destination as far away as Anchorage at no extra miles. Most people also can’t be bothered to read the fine print, which is understandable because the rules vary widely. So here are seven rules to help you exploit an area ripe with possibilities.

Stopover defined In airline parlance, a stopover generally denotes a planned stop en route to a final destination;one of more than 4 hours on a domestic itinerary and more than 24 hours on an international one. Most airlines offer one free stopover with an award ticket.

Side Trip Similar to a stopover (in that you’re going to get a second stop free of charge), a side trip consists of tacking on a second destination beyond your original destination by aggressively using award charts and stopover strategies.

Almost every US carrier’s mileage award chart is based on “regions,” meaning a mileage award ticket costs X miles for travel between regions A and B; and Y miles for travel between regions A and C. Almost every carrier also designates the US (except Hawaii) and Canada as one region. (The shorthand is “49 US and Canada.”) Side trips are possible when you squeeze an additional destination out of a mileage award ticket, as in the example above about Anchorage.

Stopover Samples

Domestic Let’s take a New York-Chicago itinerary and say your mileage currency is American Express Membership Rewards points. If you used Amex’s partner Delta, you could fly New York-Chicago and take a free stopover in a connecting/hub city like Atlanta or Cincinnati for the same number of miles—getting two destinations for the price of one. Transfer Amex points to use with Continental and this airline will allow you to stop at its Cleveland hub.

International You live in Los Angeles and can’t decide between Paris and Rome. On Delta, you could fly Los Angele's Rome with a free stop in Paris en route because it’s the hub of Delta partner Air France. Eat your cake and have it, too. Alternatively, you could make your stopover in the US, say in Atlanta, Cincinnati, New York, or Salt Lake City en route to either Paris or Rome.

Have points in multiple airline programs? Look at various airlines’ hubs for one that sounds interesting as a stop on the way to your destination. If you have a credit card that allows you to transfer points into multiple programs (FCF July 2005), size up the various airlines’ different hub cities.

Side Trip Samples

Domestic If you’re flying New York-Chicago with an airline that has a hub in Chicago (i.e. American or United) on an award ticket that permits travel in “49 US and Canada” and offers one en-route stopover, your itinerary could be New York-Seattle, with a stop in (your original/primary destination) Chicago en route. Of course, your free side trip doesn’t have to be Seattle. It could be any city from Aspen to Alberta, Los Angele's to Louisville, San Francisco to Saginaw so long as it’s in the “region” of the mileage award level you’re redeeming and the airline offers a stop.

More and different miles equal more options The same strategy as above applies here: If you have a credit card that allows you to transfer points into multiple programs (FCF July 2005), size up the hub cities where you can line up two cities you’d like to visit with an airline’s hubs and route network.

General Rules to Keep in Mind

Rule 1: The en-route stopover is usually permitted. If you’re going to fly over a city, especially a hub city, why can’t you touch down there? Most airlines say “Why not?” On United you can stop in Denver when flying from Chicago to Los Angele's and American lets you go from New York to Chicago with a stop in Dallas. But Delta won’t let you stop in Miami if you’re flying from New York to San Francisco, which seems reasonable.

Rule 2: Most airlines are close-minded about offering both a free stopover and an open-jaw. It’s probably because an open-jaw itinerary is already like a side trip. You’re departing from City A to City B, but returning from City C.

Rule 3: Use the hub-and-spoke system. Just make your destination city the stopover and the stopover the destination. For instance, if you’re flying Detroit-Dallas but want to stop in Portland, book a Detroit-Portland flight on a carrier (like American) that requires a connection in Dallas.

Rule 4: International residents, exploit the award-zone loophole when flying to the US. Again, most airline award charts are segmented by “regions,” so they usually require the same number of miles no matter where you’re bound in the US. United, for instance, asks for 90,000 miles for a Business Class award ticket between the US and Tokyo whether the destination is New York or San Francisco. So take advantage and fly Tokyo-Los Angeles and stop over, then fly LA-New York, your destination and return NY-Tokyo. (You’re getting a $1,200 to $2,000 transcon fare at no charge.) The same sort of route is possible coming from Europe. For the same number of miles as it takes to fly London New York you can fly London-New York (stop)-Los Angele's.

Rule 5: Alliances are tailor-made for stopovers and side trips. That’s because you have many route networks at your disposal—and they have many hubs offering that many different stopover points. Think American/British Airways when traveling to London and another European city; United/Lufthansa when considering Frankfurt or Munich and a second European city; and Delta/Korean if planning Seoul and another Asian city.

Sample Strategy: How to get Helsinki on a Chicago-London itinerary Fly Chicago-London (stopover) on American, then London-Helsinki (destination) on British Airways, return from London to Helsinki on BA to connect with American on a flight back to Chicago.

Rule 6: Exploit an airline’s quirks. Northwest is pretty much anti-stopover (see next page) except when it comes to the Circle Trip Award,a circle itinerary within the continental US or between the continental US and Alaska or Canada. This option allows two stopovers, with the price based on three equivalent one-way journeys.

Thus, you can fly Minneapolis-Boston, stopping over there; then Boston-Memphis, stopping there, too; and finally Memphis-Minneapolis on a standard First Class award for 67,500 award miles—not bad if you need to do it.

Rule 7: Know your favorite carrier’s rule book in this regard. American seems to be the best; Delta and United good; Continental awful; and Northwest quirky. Here’s a rundown of the major carrier’s “you cans” and “you can'ts” when it comes to stopovers.

(Please check with individual airlines for precise applications.)

Air Canada

• One stopover permitted en route.

American

• One stopover permitted anywhere it flies routing does not have to be direct.
• Some partner awards allow multiple stopovers.

Continental Within or between the 48 contiguous US, Alaska and Canada.

• One open-jaw allowed.
• Stopovers not permitted.

Most other awards

• One stopover allowed along the most direct route.

Delta

• One stopover allowed en route.

Northwest

• Stopovers not permitted; circle-trips permitted for 50% more miles.

United

• One stopover is allowed en route.

US Airways

• One stopover is allowed en route.